Department for Transport

Bats: Cornwall

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many bats are currently estimated to be using the bat bridges built over the Dobwalls bypass in Cornwall; and how that number compares with the number recorded at the opening of the bridges.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Dobwalls Bypass opened to traffic in December 2008 and included the construction of two purpose built bat bridges: Havett Farm Bridge and Lantoom Quarry Bridge. Sample monitoring of the effectiveness of the bridges has been undertaken. The surveys recorded 23 bat crossings over two days in June 2008, compared to a total of 39 bat crossings over two days in July 2014. The results of the surveys are not directly comparable as they were conducted in different months and at different times of day.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd to have completed its report on the potential maximisation of rail use for the handling of spoil and construction materials.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: An initial study has been undertaken to explore how to maximise, as far as reasonably practicable, the movement of material by rail at Euston. The study highlights a number of technical options which are now being assessed in detail with respect to their impact on passengers, their environmental and socio-economic impacts, and impacts on the HS2 programme. An initial decision on how to proceed will be made following the completion of this further assessment which is expected to be in advance of the HS2 Select Committee in the House of Lords hearing petitions in relation to Euston.

Taxis

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to introduce legislation to modernise the regulation of taxis and private hire vehicles.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government has no current plans to introduce primary legislation to modernise the regulation of taxis and private hire vehicles.

Airports

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether when undertaking further work on the options for airport expansion they will include a review of the current safety and security risks associated with each option for expansion.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Safety and security are of paramount importance, these issues were considered by the Airports Commission and will be given due regard again at appropriate points in the process following any preferred scheme being announced.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Private Rented Housing: Fees and Charges

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what fees estate agents are able to include within administration charges when letting homes.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Letting agents can set their own administration charges when letting homes, but they must publicise a full tariff of their fees prominently in their offices and on their website. Agents that fail to do so can be fined up to £5,000.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Sudan: Mining

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports that Regency Mining is undertaking mining operations in South Kordofan.

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the extent of Regency Mining's operations and connections in South Kordofan.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Regency Mines is a UK-registered company, which has operated agrominerals in Sudan. Following recent contact with the company, we understand that Regency Mines has no operations in South Kordofan, an area affected by conflict. More broadly, the United Kingdom advocates for the whole of the extractives industry to adopt the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights, which provide guidance to companies operating in countries affected by conflict.

Turkey: Politics and Government

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made representations to the government of Turkey about (1) violence in the Turkish Grand National Assembly, and (2) the disproportionate targeting of members of that chamber from specific parties in the proposed removal of parliamentary immunity as a result of prosecution requests.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Government is aware of disturbances in the Turkish parliament which took place in the context of its decision to lift parliamentary immunities for MPs. We continue to stress that, as a modern democracy, we would expect Turkey, following the lifting of immunity, to undertake any subsequent legal processes transparently and fully respect the rule of law.

Syria: Armed Conflict

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what evidence they have of rocket and mortar attacks on civilians in the Sheikh Maqsoud area of Aleppo by the Fatah Halat coalition of Islamist militants or other groups; and whether they have received any reports that chemical weapons were used in that area in early April or since then.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are aware of reports of rocket and mortar attacks in civilian areas in the Sheikh Maqsood area of Aleppo in early April. These attacks were a result of clashes between the Kurdish People’s Protection Units and a range of armed opposition groups. There have also been allegations of chemical weapons use by armed groups in the area. We have been unable to verify these reports. The ongoing violence in Syria continues to put civilians at risk. Only a political settlement, with transition away from Asad, can bring an end to their suffering.

Pakistan: Religious Freedom

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Pakistan (1) following the statement of the Chairman of the Pakistan Senate's Standing Committee on Religious Affairs that forced conversion of girls is taking place "across the country on a daily basis", and (2) about reports of humiliation, torture and false imprisonment of girls from Christian backgrounds by police officers.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: I remain concerned by reports of the persecution of religious and other minorities in Pakistan. We regularly raise our concerns about the protection of vulnerable groups, including women and girls, with the Pakistani Government at senior levels. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt. Hon Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), pressed Pakistan to guarantee the rights of all its citizens, including minority religious communities, during his visit in March. We will continue to urge Pakistan to honour in practice its human rights obligations and to uphold the rule of law.  Our concerns about minorities in Pakistan are documented in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Human Rights Reports.

Iraq: Refugees

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the lessons to be learnt from the flight of refugees from Fallujah and applied to the liberation of Mosul when it takes place; and what assistance will be provided to the minorities from Mosul's neighbouring towns and villages to ensure that towns, villages and homes vacated by Christians, Yazidis and ethnic Shiites are restored to the rightful occupants.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK is working closely with the United Nations, Government of Iraq and other partners to learn lessons from the displacement of civilians from Fallujah and ensure they are factored into humanitarian contingency planning for Mosul. The UK is also working with the Coalition to support the Government of Iraq in developing plans to stabilise areas, like Fallujah, which have been liberated from Daesh, and by working to provide the governance, services and security necessary to enable the safe return of all communities, including those of minorities, to their homes.

Turkey: Kurds

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what reports they have received of infringements of international law or the personal rights of civilians during the official total curfew imposed on Cizre, eastern Turkey, from December 2015 to March 2016, and the subsequent partial curfew.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: I refer the noble Lord to the written answer of 6 June given by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) in response to Written Question 38761 from the right hon. Member for Leeds Central (Mr Benn), copied below for ease of reference:‘We are aware of several public reports regarding alleged events in Cizre. We agree with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ráad al Hussein that it is essential that authorities respect human rights at all times while undertaking security or counter-terrorism operations.We believe Turkey has a legitimate right to defend itself against the PKK, a terrorist organisation which has killed hundreds of innocent people in the past year. A PKK offshoot - the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons, or TAK - has also claimed responsibility for a number of recent attacks, including an indiscriminate suicide car bombing in central Ankara on 13 March that killed over 30 people. Our thoughts are with the victims of PKK attacks, and the civilians who have been caught up in the recent conflict.Our Ambassador to Turkey and I have discussed with the Turkish government the importance of respecting human rights and avoiding civilian casualties in the fight against terrorism. We believe the first responsibility for investigating any alleged violations falls to Turkey. And that the PKK needs to cease violence in order to create the conditions for political resolution of the difficulties in the south east.’

Uganda: Politics and Government

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the political and human rights situation in Uganda following the election earlier this year.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: I commend the people of Uganda for turning out in large numbers to cast their vote on 18 February 2016 and for their determination to participate in the electoral process. President Museveni was inaugurated on 12 May 2016. With the new cabinet in place, it is important for the Government of Uganda to refocus its efforts on domestic and regional issues. The British Government has raised concerns with the Government of Uganda about the conduct of the elections and the post-election environment, most recently during Article 8 discussions on 28 June 2016. These include the continuing harassment and intimidation of members of the opposition and journalists by the Uganda Police Force.With international partners, we seek to work with the Government of Uganda to ensure human rights are respected in the country and to aid substantive electoral reform. Where human rights disputes are raised these must be addressed through appropriate legal channels.

Sheikh Isa Qassim

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Bahrain following the cancellation of Sheikh Isa Qassim's citizenship.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are concerned by reports that the nationality of Bahraini Shia cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim is being revoked, and we have raised these concerns at senior levels in the Bahraini government and publicly.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Small Businesses

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the implications for small businesses of the UK leaving the EU.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: There will be no immediate changes to the UK’s relationship with the EU, in the way goods can move or services can be sold. The Government is committed to ensuring that the UK remains open for business and continues to grow and thrive. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is engaging with small businesses about the issues, risks and opportunities arising as a result of the decision to leave the EU. The Government is working to ensure that the UK remains one of the best places in the world to start and grow a business.

Department for International Development

Iraq: Refugees

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of (1) the humanitarian challenges faced by people fleeing Fallujah following the military offensive there, and (2) the views expressed by the International Committee of the Red Cross that fleeing refugees are now facing the "harshest weather" that they have ever encountered, and of the description by the New York Times correspondent that the refugees’ conditions are "apocalyptic".

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Iraq and the UNHCR about contingency plans for the assistance of refugees fleeing Fallujah, in particular for the provision of water, food, medicine, sanitation, and shelter.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports that at least 85,000 refugees have escaped from Fallujah, and of the adequacy of the camps that have been established by the UNHCR for those refugees.

Baroness Verma: According to the UN, 85,000 people have been displaced from Fallujah and the surrounding area since May. The UK is concerned by the humanitarian situation in the Fallujah area, including overcrowded camps and the risks posed by the extreme heat of the Iraqi summer.The UK is working closely with UN, government and other partners to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches people who have fled Fallujah. We call on all sides to the conflict to respect International Humanitarian Law and to ensure free, unimpeded access for humanitarian agencies.Since June 2014, the UK has committed £79.5 million in humanitarian assistance to the crisis in Iraq. The UK is the largest contributor to the Iraq Humanitarian Pooled Fund, through which we are funding projects to support those leaving Fallujah.

Tristan da Cunha: RMS St Helena

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the extension in service of the RMS St Helena, whether there are any plans for the ship to visit Tristan da Cunha.

Baroness Verma: The St Helena Line has no current plans for the Royal Mail Ship (RMS) St Helena to visit Tristan da Cunha.

Medecins Sans Frontieres: EU Aid

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of Médecins Sans Frontières' rejection of EU funding in Sudan in response to the EU's policies on migrants attempting to reach Europe.

Baroness Verma: We were disappointed to learn about Médecins Sans Frontières' rejection of EU funding in Sudan. Sudan is a major source, host and transit country for migration. As such we remain committed to tackling the full range of migration issues in Sudan, including addressing the conflicts and the human rights situation, and supporting regional co-operation and efforts to stop people trafficking and smuggling through the ‘Khartoum Process’. Through DFID, we will deliver support that addresses the root causes of migration, and strengthen the basis for inclusive economic development and increased employment opportunities to encourage Sudanese people to better see their future in Sudan.

Department for Education

Standards and Testing Agency: Expenditure

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the net expenditure of the Standards and Testing Agency in the year ending March 2012 was over 25 per cent lower than the average yearly net expenditure for the period April 2010 to March 2015.

Lord Nash: The year ending March 2012 was the period when the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency closed and the Standards and Testing Agency opened. The reduction in expenditure can partly be explained by the transfer of functions between the two organisations. In addition, there was no whole cohort external marking of the Key Stage 2 writing test that year.

Qualifications

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether there was a significant disparity between the (1) GCSE, and (2) A-level, results of students living in rural areas and those in urban areas over the last five years.

Lord Nash: Our assessment of the total number of GCSE and A level results of students by degree of rurality is available in the file attached. This is published as part of the “GCSE and equivalent results in England” and the “A level and other level 3 results” statistical first releases.



GCSE_and_A_level_results_by_rurality
(Excel SpreadSheet, 35.89 KB)

Teachers: Degrees

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of teachers in state schools have (1) masters degrees, and (2) doctorates.

Lord Nash: The information requested is not available in the format requested.The Department publishes statistics showing the highest post A-level qualifications held by teachers in state funded schools in England. This information does not show those with masters degrees and doctorates separately.The latest statistics for November 2015, which were published on 30 June 2016, are provided in Table 10 of the statistical first release ‘School Workforce in England, November 2015’, which is attached and available on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-workforce-in-england-november-2015The statistics show that 97.3% of teachers have a degree or higher level qualification. This is an increase on the previous year when 96.6% of teachers had a degree or higher level qualification.



School_Workforce_in_England_November_2015
(Excel SpreadSheet, 1.19 MB)

Adoption

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the difference between the academic performance of adopted children and that of their peers in (1) GCSEs, and (2) A-levels, over the last five years.

Lord Nash: Estimates of GCSE attainment of former looked after children who have been adopted were published for the first time this year. The statistics were published as experimental statistics because we estimate that they are based on around 30% of all children adopted from care[1]. The estimates show that 22.8% of former looked after children who have been adopted achieved 5 or more A*-C GCSEs or equivalent, including English and mathematics in 2015. This information is published on GOV.UK in the statistical first release “Outcomes for looked after children by local authorities in England: 31 March 2015”[2].Nationally, 57.1% of children in state funded schools achieved 5 or more A*-C GCSEs or equivalent, including English and mathematics in 2015. These figures are published on GOV.UK in the statistical first release “Revised GCSE and equivalent results in England, 2014 to 2015”[3].Information on attainment at Key Stage 5 for former looked after children who have been adopted is not available. [1] These figures were based on children who are identified as adopted (requiring declaration by the parents) in the school census, matched to key stage 4 data[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/outcomes-for-children-looked-after-by-las-31-march-2015[3] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/revised-gcse-and-equivalent-results-in-england-2014-to-2015

Schools: Vetting

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what level of check by the Disclosure and Barring Service is required for someone to work in a school as a non-teaching staff member.

Lord Nash: The School Staffing (England) Regulations 2009, The Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 2014 and The Non-maintained Special Schools (England) Regulations 2011 require schools to carry out specific checks before they may appoint an individual to work in a school.For non-teaching staff members, the school must obtain an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service certificate and where relevant a check of the children’s barred list. A check of the barred list is required for staff engaging in regulated activity if as a result of their work they:Will be responsible, on a regular basis in a school or college, for teaching, training instructing, caring for or supervising children; orWill carry out paid, or unsupervised unpaid, work regularly in a school or college where that work provides an opportunity for contact with children; orEngage in intimate or personal care or overnight activity, even if this happens only once.

Pupils: Languages

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they maintain data on the number of primary-school pupils who are (1) bilingual, and (2) trilingual.

Lord Nash: The Department only collects data on pupils’ first language spoken which is not an indicator of proficiency in English or other languages. The Department does not hold information on the number of pupils who are bilingual or trilingual.

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners: Qualifications

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the re-offending rates of prisoners who have completed (1) GCSEs, and (2) A-levels, while in prison.

Lord Faulks: Re-offending rates are not currently available broken down by different levels of education attainment. We want to improve education so prisoners are less likely to commit crime on release. That is why we are investing in a modern prison estate, where governors are empowered to run prisons in the way they think best, and prisoners are given a chance to work or learn. It is only through more effective rehabilitation that we will reduce reoffending, cut crime and improve public safety.

Ministry of Defence

Red Arrows

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the safety reasons behind the Red Arrows' decision not to perform at Fowey Royal Regatta this year.

Earl Howe: The decision that the Red Arrows would not perform at Fowey Royal Regatta this year was made by the Fowey Royal Regatta Committee.

Overseas Aid

Baroness Northover: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much the Ministry of Defence spent on Overseas Development Assistance between April 2015 and March 2016, and what measures were used to ensure high levels of transparency in how that money was spent.

Earl Howe: The Department for International Development (DFID) is responsible for publishing the UK's Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) figures for the previous calendar year in their annual National Statistics publications. Provisional figures for ODA expenditure by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) in 2016 will be published by DFID no later than April 2017. In 2015, the MOD provisionally spent £9.2 million on ODA-eligible activities. Final figures for 2015 will be published in 'Statistics on International Development' on www.gov.uk in autumn 2016. This publication will include detailed project-level data to comply with transparency initiatives.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Rural Payments Agency: Performance Related Pay

Lord Willoughby de Broke: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 11 May (HL8277), whether the Chief Executive of the Rural Payments Agency will receive a bonus payment this year.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Chief Executive of the Rural Payments Agency did not receive a bonus payment for the 2015/16 performance year.

Home Office

101 Calls

Baroness Byford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will make the police information number 101 a free phone number.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The public have always paid to contact the police for non-emergencies and the 15 pence per call charge is a competitive and transparent rate, especially when compared to previous police non-emergency numbers (such as 0845 numbers) which could cost up to 40 pence per minute.Research by Ofcom shows that a small fixed charge does not deter people from calling the service and reduces the likelihood of it being used inappropriately.

National Security

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the sharing of policing and security information between the UK and other EU member states is continuing in the light of the result of the EU referendum; and whether it will continue during negotiations on the UK's exit from the EU.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK remains a member of the EU and is subject to EU legislation. The UK and EU Member States continue to share policing and security information, including via Europol.

Members and Peers: Security

Lord Evans of Weardale: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the murder of Jo Cox MP, whether they plan to introduce national co-ordinating arrangements to provide a consistent level of security assistance to MPs or members of the House of Lords who have received direct or implicit threats as a result of their parliamentary duties; and if not, why not.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Following threats to MPs following the Parliamentary debates on Syria late last year, the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA), the police, the Home Office and the House of Commons Security Department worked together to review the security measures available for MPs. Revised security advice and guidance, and a process to access funding for standardised security measures was sent to all MPs in January. In addition enhanced security arrangements are developed on the basis of specific intelligence.These measures have been reviewed in light of the tragic murder of Jo Cox. Where Members of either House are subject to abusive behaviour or receive threats, these should always be reported to the police.

Radicalism

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have a strategy to combat the use of social media as a tool for radicalisation and the promotion of terrorism.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Prevent Strategy sets out the Government's approach to combatting the use of social media as a tool for radicalisation and the promotion of terrorism, focussing on restricting access to terrorist and extremist content online; supporting those who are challenging them online and helping people resist poisonous ideologies.Through the Home Office's Research, Information and Communications Unit (RICU) the Government works with a range of civil society groups to counter extremist ideologies online by providing advice and support to deliver their own online campaigns. 26 RICU supported national campaigns have generated over 29.8 million online engagements since January 2014.The police Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU) refers content that they assess as contravening UK terrorism legislation or company terms and conditions to Communication Service Providers (CSPs) for removal. Since February 2010, CTIRU has secured the removal of more than 190,000 pieces of online terrorist-related content.

Surrey Police: Public Appointments

Lord Trefgarne: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they intend to appoint a permanent Chief Constable of Surrey.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Since their introduction in 2012, the appointment of a chief constable is a matter for the Police and Crime Commissioner.Surrey’s new Police and Crime Commissioner, David Munro, announced on 14 June that Nick Ephgrave is his preferred candidate for the role of Chief Constable of Surrey Police. The appointment is subject to a confirmation hearing by the Surrey Police and Crime Panel on 5 July.

Police: Biometrics

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what legislation governs the retention of facial custody images.

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 14 March (HL6870), why the publication of the findings of the review of the retention of custody images is now over a year late.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The timing of the publication of the Review of the Use and Retention of Custody Images is a decision to be taken by Ministers, in the context of other Parliamentary business. We plan to publish the Review shortly.

Asylum

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of asylum applications have been accepted in the UK in the last 12 months.

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of asylum applications to the UK in the last 12 months were from Syrian minors, and what percentage of those applications were accepted.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: In answer to Question HL929, I refer the noble Lord to my answer on 28 June 2016 for Question HL718. In answer to Questions HL930, I refer the noble Lord to my answer on 27 June 2016 for Question HL719.

Racial Hatred

Lord Pendry: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of report by the National Police Chiefs' Council suggesting a 57 per cent increase in hate crimes in the UK since the referendum on UK membership of the EU, what steps they intend to take to tackle intolerance and racially motivated crime.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are concerned by the increase in reported hate crime in recent days. We are working alongside communities and police to and monitor the situation and encourage people who may be subject to racist or religious abuse of any kind to report it to the police.This Government is committed to tackling hate crime. The UK has one of the strongest legislative frameworks in the world to tackle hate crime. We are working across Government with police, (including National Community Tensions Team), the Crown Prosecution Service and community partners to send out a clear message that hate crime will not be tolerated and we will vigorously pursue and prosecute those who commit these crimes.We will shortly be publishing a new Hate Crime Action Plan, covering all forms of hate crime, including xenophobic attacks. The plan has been developed in partnership with communities and departments across Government.We want to ensure victims of hate crime are supported and in December 2013, we brought into force a new Code of Practice for Victims of Crime which includes an enhanced level of service for victims of the most serious crime, including victims of hate crime.We will continue to work across Government, the criminal justice system and with community partners to provide support for victims and put a stop to hate crime in all its forms.

Human Trafficking

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what actions they are taking to prevent human trafficking within the UK and to prosecute those responsible.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government introduced the Modern Slavery Act 2015 which gives law enforcement agencies the tools to tackle modern slavery and human trafficking and a maximum life sentence for perpetrators. The Government is working closely with law enforcement to ensure that these provisions in the Act are used to full effect.

Cultural Heritage: Armed Conflict

The Earl of Clancarty: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 28 June (HL Deb, col 1490) that the military and police need to have adequate resources, how many police staff in the UK are exclusively dedicated to the recovery of stolen art and antiques; whether there are plans to increase that number; and what sources of funding are available for those posts.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Home Office does not hold information on the police workforce engaged in the recovery of stolen art and antiquities. Ultimately decisions on the size, composition and deployment of a police force’s workforce are operational matters for individual chief constables, working with their democratically elected Police and Crime Commissioners. Specific funding is not provided centrally for this area of operations, and it is for the individual forces concerned to decide how best to allocate their available resources according to local and national priorities.The 2016-17 funding settlement for the police ensures that the police have adequate funding to do their work. In 2016/17, direct resource funding to Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs), including council tax precept, has been protected to at least flat cash levels. This means that no PCC who chose to maximise precept is facing a reduction in cash funding in 2016/17 compared to 2015/16 and the majority are seeing marginal cash increases in their spending power.

HM Treasury

EU Grants and Loans: Northern Ireland

Baroness Goudie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the £660 million to be available to Northern Ireland and the southern border counties under PEACE IV, and other EU Structural Fund subventions, will continue to be made available to those areas.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: As the Prime Minister has made clear, while the UK remains a member of the EU, current EU funding arrangements continue unchanged. It will be for the government under the new Prime Minister to begin the negotiation to leave, and set out arrangements for those currently in receipt of EU funds.

Unpaid Taxes

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to reduce the level of uncollected tax, and if so, to what extent, and within what timescale.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) published its latest tax gap estimates on 22 October 2015 in Measuring tax gaps; 2015 edition. The overall long term trend is a reducing tax gap, from 8.4 per cent in 2005-06 to 6.4% in 2013-14. The UK’s percentage tax gap is one of the lowest in the world. This overall long term trend demonstrates that our approach is delivering steady and sustained progress. As set out in their Single Departmental Plan, HMRC will raise an additional £5 billion a year by 2019-20 by tackling tax avoidance and aggressive tax planning, evasion and non-compliance, and by addressing imbalances in the tax system.

Bank Services: Muslims

Lord Sharkey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have received about the summary and non-appealable closure by UK-based banks of accounts belonging to Muslims or Muslim organisations; from whom they received those representations, if any; and what response they made.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The withdrawal of banking services from certain sectors, including NGOs and community-based organisations, is unfortunately one instance of a global problem of de-risking affecting many countries and a number of sectors. The Government is concerned about the growth of this trend and the implications it has for NGOs, economic growth, financial inclusion and financial stability. That is why the Government continues to work closely with those affected in the UK to better understand their experiences and encourage dialogue with the banking sector. The Government also encourages banks to take a risk-based approach in their activities, to ensure that the measures they take are effective and proportionate, and that they mitigate the risks they face. Treasury Ministers and officials receive representations and have meetings with a wide variety of organisations and individuals as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available on the gov.uk website.

Gift Aid

Lord Shinkwin: To ask Her Majesty’s Government on how many occasions (1) in the last tax year for which figures are available, and (2) for each of the tax years since the introduction of Gift Aid, HMRC reclaimed or recovered Gift Aid from an individual because they had mistakenly made a Gift Aid declaration to a charity or had not paid sufficient tax to cover the Gift Aid.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: Around £1.3bn of Gift Aid was paid to charities in 2015/16, the highest year of Gift Aid payments since the scheme began. During 2015/16, HMRC contacted 2,580 individuals where a shortfall was identified in the tax needed to cover the donation. Individual donors are responsible for ensuring they have paid sufficient tax to cover any Gift Aid reclaimed in their donation. No statistics are available for earlier years.

Public Finance

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the result of the referendum on the UK's membership of the EU, whether they now intend to bring forward an emergency budget including tax rises and spending cuts, or whether they have plans to increase public investment.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: As the Chancellor has said, decisions on what action the government will take in response to the impact of the referendum on the economy and public finances will wait until the Office of Budget Responsibility has made an economic forecast in the Autumn.

Department of Health

Contraceptives

Baroness Gould of Potternewton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of Public Health England's Strategic plan for the next four years: better outcomes by 2020, what plans they have to work with the Association of Directors of Public Health to support the commissioning of local contraceptive services.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Public Health England (PHE) is committed to supporting the health system to provide appropriate contraceptive services. PHE, supported by the Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH), has undertaken a review of sexual health, reproductive health and HIV commissioning services. Currently, it is planned to publish the results of the survey in the autumn (September 2016). PHE is committed to continue to work with ADPH in order to improve sexual health outcomes using the findings from the survey, outcomes data and other relevant information.

Health

Baroness Gould of Potternewton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of Public Health England's Strategic plan for the next four years: better outcomes by 2020, what plans they have to consider investment in sexual health and contraception as a component of any economic tool to support local and national investment decisions.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Public Health England (PHE) and the Department provide a variety of tools and support in the form of guidance, data and direct advice to local PHE Centre staff. For example PHE supports local decision making by including data on sexual health spend and outcomes in the Spend and Outcomes Tool (SPOT) provided to local authorities. SPOT gives organisations in England an overview of spend and outcomes across key areas of business. The profile supports understanding of the overall relationship between spend and outcomes, by identifying areas of significant variance which are likely to require more in-depth analysis.

Health

Baroness Gould of Potternewton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of Public Health England's Strategic plan for the next four years: better outcomes by 2020, what plans they have to consider the sexual and reproductive health workforce as part of any new public health workforce strategy.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Public Health England is working with the Department and other key stakeholders to develop a new public health workforce strategy that considers the needs of the whole public health workforce.

Genito-urinary Medicine

Baroness Gould of Potternewton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Department of Health's Framework for Sexual Health Improvement in England, published in March 2013, what steps they have taken to ensure that local areas know of all professionals who are part of their sexual health workforce, and that those individuals have received appropriate training.

Lord Prior of Brampton: It is the responsibility of local authorities and clinical commissioning groups to commission appropriate services and for providers to ensure that their staff are appropriately trained to meet the needs of their local population. The Government has also mandated Health Education England (HEE) to provide national leadership on education, training and workforce development in the National Health Service in England. In doing so, HEE has a role in ensuring employers remain committed to continuing professional development and in developing the overall strategy for workforce skills and development in their areas.

Contraceptives

Baroness Gould of Potternewton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the (1) number, and (2) proportion, of healthcare professionals who have received training in each year since 2005 to fit intra-uterine methods of contraception.

Lord Prior of Brampton: No such assessment has been made. The continuing professional development of doctors and nurses is the responsibility of individual employers. Health Education England has a role in ensuring employers remain committed to continuing professional development and in developing the overall strategy for workforce skills and development in their areas.

Contraceptives

Baroness Gould of Potternewton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what monitoring is conducted to ensure that local authorities commission open-access contraceptive services for all persons present in their area.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Local authorities are mandated to commission open access sexual health services and are accountable for their statutory duty to improve the public’s health. Public Health England (PHE) has a specific role in assurance of the ring-fenced grant and that local authorities are meeting the grant conditions and the terms of the associated statutory regulations. PHE publishes data on outcomes from services for each local authority in England and can provide support and advice where necessary. Departmental and PHE officials meet regularly with stakeholders where open access to sexual health services is discussed.

Hepatitis: Screening

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what guidance they have issued to ensure that HIV clinics also test patients annually for hepatitis C.

Lord Prior of Brampton: In February 2014 the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASSH) convened an expert working group, including representation from Public Health England, to formally review evidence and produce Recommendations for testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) men who have sex with men (MSM). The recommendations are attached. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has also published Hepatitis B and C testing - people at risk of infection, recommending testing to all services users at increased risk of infection. A copy of the guidance is attached.



Hepatitis B and C testing - people at risk
(PDF Document, 286.45 KB)




Recommendations
(PDF Document, 149.67 KB)

Social Work: Training

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what resources were allocated in, or are planned for, (1) 2016–17, (2) 2017–18, (3) 2018–19, and (4) 2019–20, for (a) university social work programmes via student bursaries and the Training Support Grant; (b) the Frontline social work trainee programme; (c) the Think Ahead trainee programme; (d) the Step Up to Social Work trainee programme; (e) social work teaching partnerships; and (f) the start-up and continuing costs for the accreditation of child and family social work.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The following table shows the funding allocated to the Frontline social work trainee programme, the Think Ahead trainee programme, the Step Up to Social Work trainee programme and social work teaching partnerships in the 2016-17 financial year. Programme2016-17 £ millionFrontline social work trainee programme Contract to deliver a national fast-track programme Pilot grant2.4 7.2Think Ahead trainee programme4.6Step Up to Social Work trainee programme11.9Social work teaching partnerships7.0 The 2016-17 funding for university social work programmes via student bursaries and the Education Support Grant is currently being finalised and as such is not yet available. The final costs of the assessment and accreditation system for child and family social workers are subject to future procurement, but will be met within the Department for Education (DfE) Spending Review settlement. The budgets in future years for each of these programmes, with the exception of the contract with Frontline, an independent charitable organisation, to deliver a national fast-track programme, are not yet agreed and are subject to business planning in the normal way. DfE has a protected budget of £320 million each year of the Spending Review period for children’s services and Ministers are in the process of making decisions about how best to allocate resources within this envelope. DfE programme figures in this response show the allocations which have already been made. The following table below shows the allocations to Frontline, up to and including 2019-20, to deliver a national fast-track programme. Programme2017 – 18 £ million2018 – 19 £ million2019 – 20 £ millionContract to deliver a national fast-track programme11.0716.2418.49

Department of Health

Lord Balfe: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effect of the decision to abolish the Nursing Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals policy unit within the Department of Health on the roles of Professional Adviser for Allied Health Professions and Professional Adviser for Mental Health, Learning Disability and Dementia Care.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Department has not made a formal assessment of the effect of the decision to abolish the Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals policy unit on the roles of Professional Adviser for Allied Health Professions and Professional Adviser for Mental Health, Learning Disability and Dementia Care. As part of the DH 2020 plan, the Department is changing the way it works to deliver its essential work for the Government while achieving efficiency savings. The Department’s approach is to flexibly access professional advice from a wide range of sources, including arms-length bodies, regulators, stakeholders and professional bodies, rather than from a fixed standing team of internal advisers.